Four Minds, No Team
by AnimeGirl 144
Summary: It started out as a simple argument, but soon spiraled into a disaster. Guren is left to pick up the pieces, but can he reunite the team in order to save Quarton, or has Vilius won?
1. The Argument

**I was going to hold off on writing another story, but after watching the latest episode of **_Tenkai Knights_**, I had the energy to write the story. Plus, it's only three chapters altogether, so it shouldn't be too rough. This chapter is going to be shorter compared to the other two, which I hope will be longer.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated.**

* * *

Fighting the Corrupted on Quarton had become a routine for the four Tenkai Knights. It was really the same old, same old: go to Quarton, assist Beag, beat up some Corrupted, thwart Vilius' plans, and head home. It was tiring on the four boys, and to expecting for them.

The boredom of the whole thing had brought about more arguments as well. Toxsa and Ceylan were almost always at each other's throat over one thing or another. Sometimes Chooki would be pulled into an argument, but it was mostly Ceylan and Toxsa that seemed to have heated words with each other. Guren would be the one to stop them, but it was getting harder and harder to make them stop and make up. It would leave Guren very disheartened, since he hated seeing his friends so angry with each other.

Everything had been slowly bottled up, and it finally came to blows during an attack against the Corrupted who had attempted an attack on the Corekai's base. The four Knights were assisting Beag in defending the base, except that Toxsa and Ceylan were having heated would with each other over Toxsa's use of "geek-speak." Guren and guessed the two were going to have an argument, and because he wanted to save the image of the Knights for Beag and his men, Bravenwolf had the Knights fighting away from the Corekai army. The argument at hand, to an outsider, seemed trivial, but it was fueled by days of constant arguing that had been building up.

"You need to learn how to speak normal," Ceylan, as Tributon, snarled, shooting off energy arrows at the Corrupted soldiers.

"_I_ don't need to do anything," Toxsa - Valorn - argued, shooting a group of Corrupted soldiers. "_You're_ the one who needs to just get over it.

"Oh please Valorn," Chooki - Lydendor - commented, taking on his own set of Corrupted soldiers. "Your geek talk just gets on everyone's nerves."

"Guys can we save this for later?" Guren - Bravenwolf - requested, slashing up soldiers in his way.

"Oh you're one to talk, Mister 'I'm-perfect-at-everything,'" Valorn snapped at Lydendor, ignoring Bravenwolf's attempt to keep the peace. "You talk sports almost every other word!"

"I do not!" Lydendor shot back, sounding offended. "And even if I did, my sports talk outweighs your video games talk. At least I manage to make my references relevant."

"Why you dirty-"

"Valorn!" Bravenwolf shouted in warning.

The warning had come too late, and Valorn was struck by a blast from a Corrupted soldier. He fell backwards, releasing a grunt of pain. Bravenwolf made quick work of the soldier that had fired off and then moved quickly towards his fallen companion. Tributon and Lydendor were finishing off the last few soldiers, neither of them concerned with Valorn.

"Valorn, are you alright?" Bravenwolf asked.

"That was your fault Lydendor!" Valorn blamed, sitting up.

"My fault? You're the one with the terrible defense strategy," Lydendor shot back.

"Again with your sports!" Valorn snarled.

"Guys, come on," Bravenwolf attempted to calm them down.

"At least I can defend myself against a simple hit," Lydendor argued back.

"Oh please. You've been knocked off your feet by an enemy just as many times as we have," Tributon piped in, scoffing at Lydendor. "You're practically like pipsqueak over there."

"Guys, come on," Bravenwolf tried again.

"That's it," the green Knight said in frustration. "I quit."

"Me too," the yellow Knight stated.

"What?!" the leader gasped in shock.

"Ya know, that sounds like a great idea. I quit this stupid thing too," the blue Knight added.

"It's not like you haven't already tried to quit before," the yellow Knight snarked. "Maybe this time you'll actually mean it."

"Wait, guys. We can't just disband like this," Bravenwolf said, frantic at the way his friends were acting.

"Actually, we can, cause we just did!" Tributon shot to his friend, the first time since the beginning of the battle that Bravenwolf was acknowledged.

Bravenwolf watched in despair as the three other Knights walked away.

* * *

Mr. White watched the portal brighten and then dimmed, bringing the boys back from Quarton. He hadn't been watching their battle, and so he had no clue about the decision they came to on the other planet, though he could tell by the tensed atmosphere around the boys. That and how Chooki, Toxsa, and Ceylan looked angry while Guren looked worried.

"C'mon guys, you didn't really mean what you said back there," Guren spoke up. "This is all just a misunderstanding. We've had them before. We'll work through this, and then we'll be good as new."

"You don't listen very well, do you Guren?" Ceylan demanded harshly.

"He is a goody-two-shoes," Toxsa commented snidely.

Guren flinched from the personal attacks, but pushed away the hurt that they - his friends - would say such things to him and focused once more.

"I'm serious guys," Guren argued.

"And so are we," Chooki responded. "We quit. End of story. No more Tenkai Knights. Quarton can fight their own battles from now on, because I'm out of here."

"Me too. I'm done busting my hide for those guys," Toxsa commented, heading for the door like Chooki was.

"I gotta life to live," Ceylan added as he made his way towards the door. "If you were smart Guren, you'd do the same."

"Guys!" Guren called, but his three friends - ex friends? - continued out the door, slamming it shut behind them.

Guren's shoulders fell when he heard the slam, hurt immediately taking place on his face. Mr. White stared at the door in alarm, before looking back at the boy. He looked so crushed and defeated, that it panged the older man to see him so sad.

"I'm guessing what happened on Quarton wasn't something good," Mr. White commented to the boy.

"The Tenkai Knights just split," Guren answered, sounding so sad and hurt.

"I'm sure whatever has gotten to them will be gone with by tomorrow," Mr. White, trying to be optimistic about the situation, said. He walked over to the boy and patted him on the shoulder. "You boys have just been doing the same thing over and over again, and so they were probably letting off some steam."

Guren's eyes brightened with hope.

"You really think so Mr. White?" Guren asked.

Mr. White smiled in reassurance and nodded.

"I'm sure it will. Why don't you go home now and rest up," Mr. White suggested. "You've had quite the intense day, and winding down is the best thing to do."

"Yeah, you're right," Guren agreed. "Thanks Mr. White. Hopefully everything will be better in the morning." The young leader of the (disbanded) Tenkai Knights walked for the exit, giving the aging man a final farewell as he exited the basement.

The smile that had been on Mr. White's face fell after the door had closed, and in its place was a worried frown.

"This isn't good," he commented to himself out loud. "If the boys don't reunite tomorrow, the universe may be in trouble; not just Quarton. I hope they can overcome what has overtaken them quickly, or I fear we will not be alive for much longer."


	2. Lonewolf

**Chapter Two is here now. I'm hoping my fight scene isn't lame, but I'll let you all be the judge of that. Also, the boys may seem out of character for this chapter, but I promise it'll be explained next chapter. Still working on Mr. White's riddles/sayings, but I feel I'm making a breakthrough by giving him a riddle/saying for the chapter.**

* * *

Guren arrived at the school early the next day, hopeful for his friends to be better and make up. He hadn't talked to them yesterday because he wanted them to have some space and time to think about what had happened and to come to the decision on their own without him pushing them towards it. He was anxious though, and was practically bouncing out of his seat waiting for Ceylan to show up. When the blue-haired teen made it in, Guren smiled at him.

"Hey Ceylan," Guren greeted.

The teen just made a noise in his throat and flopped into his seat, crossing his arms. Guren felt the corner of his lips tip downward a little, but he kept up the smile and tried again.

"How are you today?" he asked.

Ceylan ignored the other boy, keeping his eyes focused on the front, waiting for class to begin. Guren felt his entire body deflate at receiving the cold shoulder from his best friend. He turned his own attention to his desk. He kept silent, not able to focus as the teacher walked into the classroom.

_Maybe things won't turn out for the better,_ he thought sadly.

Guren had felt too depressed to focus on the lesson in class. He had been hopeful that everything would be under the bridge and they could move on being friends, but Ceylan's behavior only proved that things were still heavy. Guren was pulled out of his depressing thoughts by the sound of the bell ringing, indicating that class was over. Ceylan was up and out of his seat without another word, leaving the room without Guren. Guren closed his eyes with a sigh and slowly got his things ready.

"Trouble, Guren?" Gen asked from behind the boy, surprising him.

Guren looked up, finding Gen staring at him with his typical aloofness. Guren placed on a fake smile, trying to not let his personal sadness be revealed.

"Oh, hey Gen," Guren greeted kindly. "No, I'm okay. I just spaced out a little."

"Really now? It sure seemed like you and Jones had some tension between you," Gen responded, his voice indicating he didn't believe a word Guren said.

Guren felt a shiver run through his body, wondering why he was getting defensive. The way Gen was able to see through the lie spooked Guren. Shouldering his backpack, Guren made his smile wider.

"Nah, he just had a bad morning," Guren lied. "I'm sure he'll be fine later today."

"If you say so," Gen responded, his voice still indicating that he knew Guren was lying.

He turned and exited the classroom, leaving Guren behind. The teenager sighed to himself and made his way out of the classroom, dreading the rest of the day if the other two boys were just going to be like Ceylan.

* * *

School was over, and as Guren exited the school, he saw his other three friends walking out of the school as well. Mustering up some courage and forcing on another smile, he jogged up to them.

"Hey guys! Want to come to my place to do homework?" Guren asked. He knew it wasn't the best thing to ask, but he needed something.

The three boys stopped. They looked over their shoulder at him, and then looked at each other. A glare appeared on their face, and they began to walk away.

"I'm busy with track," Chooksi responded.

"Wakamei's making me help her in the diner," Toxsa answered.

"My dad wants me to help out around the house," Ceylan replied.

Guren watched them walk away, feeling his smile falter before he looked down at his pocket and noticed it glowing. He quickly pulled out his core brick, and held it up.

"Hey guys, we're being summoned!" Guren called after his retreating three friends.

"We're not knights anymore, remember!?" the three shouted back, continuing their walk.

"But guys!" Guren began to protest, but the three continued to leave, heading off in their own direction. Guren clenched his fists in a sign of aggravation and shouted, "Fine! Then I'll just go myself."

* * *

"Hello Guren," Mr. White greeted when he saw the young leader jog into his shop. "What can I do for you?"

"Quarton's calling," Guren responded, heading for the basement.

Mr. White followed, noting a lack of three bodies.

"What of the other boys? Are they on their way?" the elderly man asked.

"Off doing other things," Guren replied. "And no, they're not."

"You're going by yourself?" Mr. White asked in obvious concern.

"Quarton needs me," Guren responded simply as they entered the basement.

"It's dangerous to go it alone though," Mr. White protested. "A single wall cannot hold up a house."

"Mr. White, I'll try and figure out your riddle later, but right now, I need to get to Quarton. The guys may not want to help the planet out, but I'm still in this," Guren replied to the elderly man, a fire of determination burning in his eyes.

Mr. White held in his next comment, reluctantly nodding in agreement. He didn't like sending Guren off alone, but Quarton was still in need. The elderly man released a defeated sigh and nodded his consent.

"Very well, but be extremely cautious," Mr. White advised, expressing his worry with his tone of voice.

Guren smiled in reassurance and he nodded, making his way to the portal.

"I will Mr. White, don't worry," he responded, stepping onto the portal.

Mr. White watched grimly as the young boy entered the portal, leaving for Quarton as Bravenwolf. In the pit of the elderly man's stomach, he felt dread build up and hoped that it wasn't a premonition but simply a feeling produced by anxiety.

* * *

"Greetings Bravenwolf sir!" Beag greeted when the white-and-red Tenkai Knight came into view. "You came just in time sir. May I inquire where the rest of the Knights are?"

"Oh, they're uhm...busy with other things right now," Bravenwolf lied, wishing he had thought of a better one before arriving. "Anyways, what's the damage?"

"Dromus and Venetta attacked one of our mining groups," Beag informed. "Our men as still under seige by the two and the Corrupted, but they're holding their own!"

"Okay, I'll deal with Dromus and Venetta," Bravenwolf responded. "Time to Titan up!"

Bravenwolf turned into his Titan form, and then flew off with Beag and the Corekai following after. This would be the first time he would face the enemy alone without his friends backing him up, but Beag and the other Corekai would be there for him, and he already knew how deep their devotion to the Knights were, so there was no way Beag and his men would leave Bravenwolf to die. With the thoughts in mind, Bravenwolf sped faster for the mine, hearing the laser-firing before he saw it. When he came further into view of the battlefield, he spotted Dromus and Venetta on the other side.

_Time to draw their attention away,_ the Knight thought to himself as he drew his sword.

Dromus spotted Bravenwolf heading for them, bypassing the Corekai soldiers and rushing straight towards them. Dromus rose his own sword up, watching from the corner of his optics as Venetta readied her own weapons. She was already informed of the situation concerning the Knights, and she was more thrilled then he to be battling the lone Knight. Their plan was simple: kill Bravenwolf. The other three were no longer taking part in the war effort, so there was no need to worry about them; Bravenwolf, on the other hand, was quite dangerous since he was a stubborn fellow who would die trying, which was the ideal outcome for the two agents of Vilius.

"Ready?" Dromus asked his companion.

"Do you even need to ask?" Venetta questioned, her voice expressing her excitment. "Let's go and meet him already."

"You're certainly impatient," Dromus commented, going into Titan mode.

"And you're slow," Venetta responded, rushing off to meet Bravenwolf.

Dromus followed after her, watching as Bravenwolf veered off, taking the three away from the battlefield. That was fine with Dromus; they could kill Bravenwolf anywhere he wished. Venetta was quick on the lone Knight's tail, shooting her energy webs at him in an effort to trap him. He had gotten smarter than the last time they fought and managed to dodge all her shots. That was fine with Venetta; she was in the mood to have some fun before striking at her prey.

"I can do this all day, Tenkai Knight," Venetta commented aloud.

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you," the Knight responded back, turning around to face his opponents once he felt they were far enough away from the soldiers.

"You're not very bright," Dromus commented as he arrived. "It's two on one."

"Well then maybe you need to grab a few more guys to make this an even match," Bravenwolf responded cheekily.

"Arrogance will be your downfall," Dromus commented, raising his sword and swinging it at the red-and-white Knight.

Bravenwolf rose his sword in defense, letting the two blades clash. He pushed against Dromus' sword, but had to pull back when he saw Venetta attempting to impale him with her twin daggers. He managed to move away in time before she could do any damage, but he kept moving backwards when she chased after him; while he may be stronger, she was obviously faster.

"Where are you running to?" the female bot questioned.

"I'm not running anywhere," Bravenwolf replied. "I'm just avoiding your daggers."

"Maybe you shouldn't be so concerned with my daggers," Venetta responded cryptically.

"What's that supposed to-GAHHHHH!" Bravenwolf was caught off guard by the sword slashing him on his side, sending Bravenwolf to the ground.

"You seemed to have forgotten me," Dromus mocked, kicking Bravenwolf in the side before he could get up. "That was your second mistake."

"And what can I ask was my first?" Bravenwolf questioned, rolling out of the way before Dromus could land another blow.

"Coming to Quarton alone," Dromus responded, raising his sword and bringing it down.

Bravenwolf used his sword to help him to his feet, and used the shield to block against Dromus' attack once more. He was fighting hard to keep Dromus' blade from hitting him, but wasn't prepared for the stab in his side that came from Venetta's dagger. He pulled the dagger out of his side and went to slash at Venetta, but the female bot had already jumped backwards before he could strike her, and Dromus used the distraction to knock Bravenwolf back to the ground with the hilt of his sword. Bravenwolf readied his sword to help him up, but Dromus stepped on the Knight's arm, applying pressure and stopping him from doing so.

_Gaaahh,_ Bravenwolf thought, feeling pain shoot through his right arm. _This isn't good. They're beating me up pretty good._

"You should have just left Quarton to suffer," Dromus mocked the Knight, applying even more pressure to the arm below his foot. "Trying to play the hero only gets you killed."

"Who's playing?" Bravenwolf questioned, swiping his shield at Dromus' legs and forcing the other bot off of him.

He then used his jets to get him off the ground and placed some distnace between them. He held his injured arm, willing it to work. It wasn't broken, thankfully, but it still hurt. Thankfully, the adrenaline was getting to him, and the pain was slowly ebbing. The grey bot stumbled back from the momentum, but he regained his composure just as Venetta appeared at his side, drawing her daggars for another hit.

"I've had enough toying around with you. Time to end this once and for all," Dromus stated as he prepared his Dark Energy Cannon.

Bravenwolf rose his shield and readied himself to defend against the energy attack, but was caught off guard by three purple energy webs wrapping around him, forcing his arms to his sides.

"What the-" he was cut off by the energy blast hitting him at full blast. "AHHHHHHHHH!"

When the energy blast dissipated, Bravenwolf fell to the ground, feeling absolute pain from the blast he had just been dealt with. He was too weak to move, not even bothering to roll away when Dromus placed the blade of his energy sword up to Bravenwolf's neck.

"It was fun, Bravenwolf. But you're in my way," Dromus said readying the weapon for attack.

Before Dromus could slice off Bravenwolf's head, several energy shots came at him, forcing him to back off and use his shield in defense. Looking over the edge of the shield, he watched as the Corekai army ran towards the three of them, firing off their weapons in an attempt to protect Bravenwolf from further damage.

"Hm," Dromus said, stepping away from the fallen Knight. "Today's your lucky day. You've managed to survive death...for now. Venetta, let's go."

"Right," Venetta replied, following after her partner swiftly.

"That's right you cowards!" Beag shouted, before kneeling beside the fallen leader. "Bravenwolf sir, can you stand?"

"Just...Just give me a moment," Bravenwolf responded, breathing heavily as the pain racked his body. "I just...need a moment."

"Of course sir," the Corekai leader said in understanding. "I am very glad you survived Dromus' powerful blast."

"You and me both," Bravenwolf commented lightly.

_Mr. White's not going to be happy,_ Bravenwolf thought to himself grimly.

* * *

Mr. White had been watching Guren's fight after the teenager left for Quarton, so he was at the portal, waiting for Guren to arrive, nerves frazzled at nearly watching the young boy die at Dromus' hands. When the light faded from the portal, signaling the boy's return, Mr. White quickly grabbed his shoulders, keeping him balanced.

Guren flinched, not from the pain, but from seeing the look in Mr. White's eyes. He already expected a lecture from the elderly man. Instead of getting yelled at immediately, Mr. White guided him over to a chair by the flat screen, sitting him down carefully. Guren accepted the seat, happy to be off his feet, and gripped his upper arm. The adrenaline from before had kept most of the pain away, but now it was back, aching along with the rest of his body. He looked up at Mr. White, who looked to be both upset and very concerned.

"I told you to be careful," the man began, his voice firm.

"I know," Guren responded, lowering his head a little in submission.

"You could have been killed. Had Beag and his men not fought off the Corrupted sooner, they never would have gotten to you in time," Mr. White continued.

"I know, and I've already expressed my gratitude to Beag for getting there in time," Guren replied.

Mr. White looked over the boy, trying to find any physical damage aside from the arm, but it was mostly bruises and a weakened state that Guren was suffering from. The old man released a sigh, feeling his pent up nerves slowly drain away. Scolding Guren while the teen was already in pain would get neither of them anywhere. Guren made it out alive, thankfully, and that was all they could ask for.

"I suggest you go home and rest, Guren," Mr. White advised. "You will need a lot of rest after what you went through."

"Yeah," Guren agreed, smiling a little. "Luckily dad won't be home until later tonight, so he shouldn't question my appearance."

"Will you be alright getting home?" Mr. White asked.

"Yeah," Guren replied with a nod. "I should be fine. My house isn't too far away."

"Alright, but be careful and don't over work yourself," Mr. White warned.

"I promise," the teenager promised, getting out of the chair.

Mr. White walked Guren out of the shop, keeping a sharp eye on him and making sure the boy wouldn't suddenly collapse. He watched the young leader walk through the mall, still keeping a close eye on him until he was out of sight.

_Those boys need to figure out their differences quickly and become a team again, _Mr. White thought, heading back into his shop. _Guren almost died, and he is sure to get himself killed with his stubbornness. I can only hope that Quarton doesn't need the Knights tomorrow._


	3. All for One

**Wow this chapter is nearly double the others. I'm happy to have it done though; now that it's out of my head, I can use the open space for other things like school...hopefully.**

**Sounds like my fight last chapter wasn't too bad, so let's hope this chapter's fight scene is good enough. ****Also, I don't know why I beat up on Guren. I love him so much, but for some reason, I enjoy writing chapters that make the characters go through physical pain like this.**

**If I hadn't expressed it already, I want to thank you all for your support on the story! I'm really happy this story was enjoyable for you all! Here's to our last and final chapter!**

* * *

Ceylan arrived at school rather late, hoping to avoid speaking with Guren. It wasn't like the blue-haired teen hated Guren or something; he was actually feeling guilt for the past two days. He hadn't meant to be so harsh to Guren; his harsh words had been mostly in the heat of the moment. Oh sure, he did mean that Guren was a goody-two shoes, but not in a mean way. Guren _was_ too nice, far too nice for his own good. He was always finding the best in people, and trying to bring that out in others.

When Ceylan entered the classroom, he was a little shocked to see that Guren's seat was empty. Normally the other boy would be at school early, hence on why Ceylan opted to arrive later than usual. A quick feeling of dread filled Ceylan's body as he wondered if something bad had happened on Quarton, but just as quickly, he shrugged off the feeling. Guren was a big boy and was pretty strong when he was Bravenwolf, so he was sure Guren was fine. The other teen was probably just at home taking the day off.

"Waiting for someone?"

Ceylan spun on his heel to face the owner of the voice behind him, hiding the fact that he had just nearly jumped out of his skin. He found Gen standing behind him, a stoic yet arrogant look in his eyes that always managed to piss Ceylan off. Crossing his arms, the blue-haired teen scowled at the other boy.

"Why would I be waiting for Guren?" Ceylan questioned. "The guy's just probably taking a day off from school. You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"

Gen scoffed, preparing to snap back, but was stopped by the teacher telling the two boys to sit down. In a huff, the two went to their respective seating. Ceylan attempted to pay attention in class and not think about the fact that something may have gone wrong on Quarton.

* * *

When Toxsa arrived at his next class, he found it odd that he hadn't seen Guren pass by him at all. The two didn't share any classes together, but usually the younger boy would see Guren as they passed each other during passing period. He saw Ceylan, but he didn't see the other boy, which sort of worried the video game expert. He knew Guren had gone off to save Quarton from Vilius, but had something gone wrong? He really hoped nothing bad happened.

He hadn't meant to be rude to Guren yesterday. The routine on Quarton had just annoyed Toxsa enough to cause a fight with Ceylan and Chooki that sort of roped Guren into it. The other boy was the only one of them who didn't antagonize him as much as the other two. He was a great friend, and Toxsa felt guilty for acting coldly to him. He hoped everything had gone smoothingly at Quarton, but shook the thought out of his head because of course things went okay; Guren was fine and was probably just taking a me day or something. Everything was fine.

* * *

Chooki was grabbing his lunch, and debated on sitting with Guren. He had that same thought yesterday before he was pulled away by his team to eat lunch with them. He had seen how upset the other boy had been when Chooki was passing his table, but he had ended up with his teammates instead.

He looked around the cafeteria, but saw no sign of the boy with red in his hair. Dread instantly filled Chooki as he made his way over to the table with his group of friends. He had felt guilt over leaving Guren to face the problem on Quarton by himself. It was dangerous to face Vilius and his goons, as four Knights, but going alone just intensified the danger level.

Chooki had felt guilty for snapping at Toxsa and Ceylan over the past couple days. Like the others, he had felt boredom over doing the same, constant routine in Quarton, and he was feeling the pressure of school, sports, and the weight of two worlds on his shoulders. All of that had just escalated when the moment was made available, but Chooki still felt awful for losing his cool.

Collecting his thoughts and focusing on one of his friends who had asked him a question, he silently hoped that Guren was alright, and that Chooki hadn't made a mistake by letting Guren go to Quarton alone.

* * *

Guren had stayed in bed for the beginning of the day, feigning illness so that he could stay home and not go to school. His dad easily bought the lie and called the school, informing them that Guren was sick and wouldn't be going into school. Max stayed curled up with him on the bed, having sensed that while Guren was feeling terrible, it wasn't because of illness; he was a cat, and cats knew these kind of things.

Guren's body still ached from yesterday's battle, and his arm was still in pain, but he was at least feeling a tad bit better than he did the day before. He was settling down for another nap, when he sensed that his core brick was glowing. Guren briefly thought about not going to Quarton, but his sense of duty wouldn't allow that thought to go into action. Willing his bones and muscles to move, he got out of bed (startling and upsetting Max), grabbed his core brick, and wobbled his way out of his house.

* * *

Ceylan, Toxsa, and Chooki were all at the end of lunch when they saw their core bricks glowing. Each of them debated going to Quarton, but ultimately decided against the decision and placed their bricks away, hoping to have not been spotted by anyone.

* * *

Mr. White was expecting (hoping) for the other three boys to show up so that Guren could get some rest, but the front door opened to reveal the leader of the Tenkai Knights.

"Guren, you need to be at home resting!" Mr. White protested.

"I'm going to Quarton," Guren replied, doing his best to not wobble to the basement.

"You're still too injured to face Dromus," Mr. White argued, following closely behind Guren. "If you go now, you may not come back."

"I'll take that risk," Guren replied with determination in his voice.

Mr. White was quite surprised to hear the teenager say such a thing, and Guren used this as his opportunity to sprint to the basement and to the portal. Mr. White recovered after he saw Guren open the door and ran after the teen, arriving too late; he witnessed Guren insert the core brick into the portal's console, and was teleported to Quarton. Mr. White stared at the empty portal in worry and concern.

He sincerely hoped that wouldn't be the last time he saw Guren alive.

* * *

Sprinting hadn't been the smartest thing, because even as Bravenwolf, his legs gave a protest to the exertion they had been subjected to. Beag ran up to him, greeting him cheerfully like usual and asked to where the other three Knights were; Bravenwolf lied once more. Beag then expressed concern for the Knight given the beating the other day, but Bravenwolf waved off the concern and inquired what was the matter. Once again, a mining crew had been attacked; Bravenwolf had an idea that it was Dromus just trying to draw Bravenwolf out into another battle. Ordering Beag to follow him, the leader shot off for the mines in his Titan Mode.

Beag followed closely behind, resolving to not leave the white-and-red Knight's side. He may have come off as ignorant, but Beag was more insightful than he let on. He had a feeling something had happened within the group; he hadn't been ignorant of the rising tension within the group. He was aware of it, but informed his soldiers that it was only a healthy debate amongst the four, and that they would resolve it quickly. He didn't want his soldiers to have doubts about the Knights; he wanted them to look up to the Tenkai Knights and believe in them. Seeing Bravenwolf almost die had spooked Beag terribly, and it was now his goal to not let the leader fight alone; not if he could help it.

Dromus, already in his Titan Mode, overlooked the battle between the Corrupted and Corekai with Venetta beside him. Both of them were waiting for Bravenwolf to arrive; they had something to finish. Venetta was the first to spot the Knight heading for them. She readied her daggers, which was a hint to Dromus that Bravenwolf had been spotted. He drew out his own weapon, spotting Bravewolf approaching.

"The fool," Dromus commented loudly. "He's determined to get himself killed."

"Makes the job easier for us," Venetta commented, a smirk evident in her voice.

"That it does," Dromus replied to his companion. "Let's go and make his death swift." He hopped off the cliff the two had been standing on, heading straight for Bravenwolf.

Venetta jumped after her partner and slide down the side of the cliff, a chuckle escaping her vocal chords as she continued down the cliff-side.

"Let's have fun first!" Venetta proposed as she hopped off the cliff-side and bounced off of the heads of Corrupted and Corekai alike.

"That's the whole point of this, isn't it?" Dromus replied.

Bravenwolf noticed two figures approaching, instantly identifying them as Dromus and Venetta; at this point, he doubted the two figures could be anybody else but them. He watched as the soldiers that had previously been following him run past him, off to assist their fellow brothers in arms against the Corrupted. Beag was the only one who stayed with Bravenwolf, and he even raised his laser gun at the approaching Dromus and shot at him.

"Beag, go and assist your men," Bravenwolf ordered, raising his shield slightly as he prepared for the oncoming attack.

"I'm afraid that will have to be an order I must ignore, sir," Beag responded as he continued to fire, though he moved his target of fire to the quickly approaching Venetta.

Bravenwolf turned to look back at him in surprise. The leader of the Corekai didn't stop his assault, keeping his gaze on Venetta as she approached, only a few meters away. Bravenwolf was tempted to argue with him, but decided not to do so; Beag was just as stubborn as any of them, and it actually felt nice to have someone willing to fight beside him.

"Okay," Bravenwolf said. "I'll take on Dromus and you fight Venetta, deal?"

If Beag could smile, Bravenwolf bet he would be. He paused in his assault to give the Knight a salute, before going back to his attack on Venetta.

"Yes sir," the leader said.

Bravenwolf returned his attention to Dromus, who was closer now, holding his weapon up to strike Bravenwolf down. The Knight raised his shield up in defense, protecting him from a major blow as the black-and-gray bot's sword made contact with the shield. The force had Bravenwolf skidding back an inch, but he didn't topple over or lose his balance; he just moved back a little.

"I'm surprised to see you standing, Bravenwolf," Dromus greeted, sounding sarcastic as he spoke. "I thought for sure you'd run back home with your tail between your legs."

"You apparently don't know me well at all," Bravenwolf spat back.

"On the contrary; I know you quite well. You're the idiot who's about to die because he was stupid enough to come back to greet death," Dromus responded, swiping the shield away and kicking Bravenwolf in the stomach.

Normally, the kick would have just made Bravenwolf skid back some feet from the kick, but the Knight was still weak from the battle he had the day before, so the kick was strong enough to make him fall onto his back. A quick spike of pain ran up and down Bravenwolf's spine, but the white-and-red Knight did his best to will away the pain and rolled over, avoiding a stab from his doppelganger.

"Hmm. You're pretty wiley for someone who was almost killed yesterday," Dromus mocked. "I was expecting you to just flop around."

"Sorry to be a disappointment," Bravenwolf remarked, moving from his knees to lung at Dromus, actually managing to wrestle the other bot to the ground; Dromus hadn't been expecting Bravenwolf to have enough strength to do so.

Bravenwolf's victory was short lived because his arm protested against the exertion it had just undergone, and this moment of pause gave Dromus the opportunity to slash at the Knight, sending the weakened bot off of him.

_Well that didn't go as planned, _he thought to himself as he slowly got to his knees, only to be kicked in the head. _Okay. That one majorly hurt._

"I'm going to enjoy every moment of this," Dromus stated wickedly as he stalked towards his prey.

"Really? I hadn't guessed," Bravenwolf responded with snark in his tone, forcing his legs to work.

"Stubborn to the end," Dromus commented. "Your death will be a pity."

"We'll see about that," Bravenwolf replied, rushing at Dromus with his sword despite his protesting arm- raised.

* * *

Class after lunch was just mid-way through when the three chosen Knights were hit by an image of Bravenwolf fighting Dromus sword-on-sword, only for Dromus to use his shield to smack Bravenwolf off his feet. The white-and-red Knight fell to the ground from the hit, followed up with being stepped on by the black-and-grey bot. The image had been sent from the three core bricks; which had been continuously glowing since their first call to action. The core bricks, sensing that their owners were not going to take action, took matters into their own figurative hands and sent the image of what was happening on Quarton so the three would understand the severity of what Dromus was doing. The images had caused the three teens to nearly shout in class, but they had gotten a hold of themselves quickly and simply made an excuse to their respective teacher's before packing up and rushing out of their classrooms.

Even though they had each resolved to no longer help Quarton, seeing their friend getting beaten up by Dromus made their guilt rise to an unbearable level. No matter what happened, Guren was their friend, and abandoning him to die at Dromus' hands was not an option any of them wanted to entertain for a moment longer than necessary, so they were off and running. The three almost ran into each other, literally, in the hallway as they ran for the exit.

"You saw it too?" Ceylan questioned the two other boys as they ran for the bike rack. "With Bravenwolf and Dromus?"

"Yeah," Chooki replied as he frantically undid his bike lock - he hadn't been this shaken up since the cup finals two years ago. "Bravenwolf looked like he was in bad shape. A swipe like that shouldn't have had him off his feet."

"He didn't show up to school today," Toxsa spoke up as he slammed his helmet on his head and threw his lock into his bag. "Do you think it had something to do with yesterday on Quarton?"

"If it did, then he's an idiot to be going back today!" Ceylan exclaimed in a combination of worry and anger.

"Let's go guys!" Chooki, on his bike with his helmet on but not strapped, ordered as he began to bike it to Mr. White's shop.

Toxsa and Ceylan were right behind him within seconds, never once losing pace as the adrenaline flowed through their veins. They pedaled faster than they ever did before, nearly running people over with their tires as they sped past people on the sidewalk. They made it to the shop in record time, and all but threw their helmets off onto their bikes as they rushed into the strange little shop. Mr. White was nowhere in sight, but the three teens had an idea on where the elder man was. They threw the basement door open and patiently waited for the metal doors to the room the portal was housed in to open. Mr. White rounded on the three of them, first showing surprise over their appearance before a glare formed on his face; an angry Mr. White was a rare Mr. White indeed, but the boys knew he had every right to be upset with them. On the screen behind the elderly man was the fight Bravenwolf was in against Dromus.

"As much as I'd like to reprimand you three for your recent behavior, I'm afraid that there's no time. Bravenwolf isn't at his full strength, and I'm afraid that Dromus may use his canon blast any moment now," Mr. White explained, his face mixing with worry. "You three need to get to Quarton quickly."

"Right," Chooki replied for the group.

"Cheesy forgiveness speeches later?" Ceylan asked as he jogged over to the portal.

"Definitely later," Toxsa replied. "Time to go and save our buddy from that Dromus creep!"

The three placed their core bricks in the slots, and were taken to Quarton instantly, under Mr. White's watchful gaze. A bit of the tension he had felt before dampened thanks to the three boys' arrivals; if they got to Bravenwolf in time, then everything would be alright.

* * *

"Beag!" Bravenwolf shouted when he saw the Corekai fall.

The Tenkai Knight ran to defend the leader from a blow by Venetta, but he was tackled to the ground by Dromus.

"He's not your concern Bravenwolf, I am!" Dromus stated, powering up his Dark Energy Cannon.

_Not this again,_ Bravenwolf thought angrily, powering up his Bravenwolf Cannon. _Well, it's like Mr. White would have probably said: fight fire with fire!_

When Dromus released his energy beam, Bravenwolf released his, letting the two different energy beams contend with each other.

"Over there, what's that?" Valron, already in Titan Mode (like the other two Knights were), questioned with worry evident in his tone.

"Those look like energy beams!" Tributon supplied.

"From two cannons," Lydendor added. "Let's step it up guys!"

"Right," the two replied as they pushed just a little bit more to be faster.

Bravenwolf groaned at the energy he had used up for his cannon, reverting out of his Titan Mode. He was almost running on empty, and his body was protesting the use of it. Then, of course, Dromus (s_till _in Titan Mode, which wasn't fair in the slightest) had to walk over and slam his foot onto Bravenwolf's chest, putting on pressure that had Bravenwolf nearly screaming out in pain; the Knight would not do it, however, because he didn't want to give his opponent the benefit of hearing him in pain.

"You know Bravenwolf, I am going to miss you when you're dead," Dromus taunted as he continued to press down.

"I'm sure you'll cry a tear over me," Bravenwolf shot back, his voice filled with contempt as he attempted to move the foot off of him.

Just like the day before, the blade of Dromus' sword laid at his neck, ready to slice it off in one clean swipe.

"A fighter until the very end," Dromus remarked with a slight tsking noise at the end of the sentence. "Goodbye Bravenwolf."

Bravenwolf closed his eyes and waited for the blade to swing back and swipe off his neck, but he was surprised to hear three roars of fear and anger before he heard metal against metal. Someone was kneeling beside him - he could tell by the sound of something landing close to him - and a hand touched him, shaking him slightly.

"C'mon Bravenwolf, get up!" Tributon's voice pleaded.

"Tributon?" Bravenwolf questioned, opening his eyes.

"Oh thank goodness you're alive!" Tributon cried in relief. "How are you feeling? Can you move? Are you hurt anywhere? Well of course you'd be hurt, but are you hurt really really badly? Can you wa-"

"What are you doing here?" Bravenwolf asked in surprise, cutting off his friend's rambling.

"We came to save your behind," Tributon replied, his voice still full of relief. "The core bricks showed us you getting the snot kicked out of you by Dromus, so naturally we came to save you guys, since, you know, we're your friends."

"We?" Bravenwolf questioned, just now hearing the sounds of two fights taking place closeby.

The red-and-white Knight pushed his upper body up, trying to see what was going on, and Tributon assisted him. From his upright position, Bravenwolf watched as Valron and Lydendor took on Venetta and Dromus, respectively. Both were fighting aggressively, and Dromus and Venetta decided that having three able-bodied Knights against the two of them who were already low on energy were not promising odds, so they retreated. Bravenwolf almost released a sigh of relief, but he focused on the reassuring hand on his shoulder from his friend.

"Yeah. After seeing Dromus attacking you, we got over our anger with each other and came to your rescue," Tributon continued in his explanation, sounding serious. "No one messes with our buddy and gets away with it."

"I thought you three were done with Quarton? That we were no longer a team," Bravenwolf questioned as the other two Knights walked over to the two of them.

"You know better than to take anything we say in the heat of the moment seriously," Valorn teased lightly.

"We three just lost our cool," Lydendor agreed. "We let our anger rule us and we said things we shouldn't have. But no matter what, you're our friend, and we're a team, and at the end of the day, we're all there to support each other, right guys?"

"Right," Tributon and Valron replied, looking down at their (badly) injured friend.

Bravenwolf was nearly in tears at hearing his friends. He was so afraid he had lost them; the day they had abandoned him, he had realized how alone he was in the new city. It had terrified him to be alone, to lose the only friends he's ever been able to rely on. Hearing their words, however, comforted the Knight better than any pain relief medicine could, and he nearly broke down from the relief of having his friends back.

"Thank you guys," Bravenwolf said in a tiny, watery voice, and he was sure his friends had heard the relief and near-tears in his voice.

"C'mon man," Lydendor said, holding out his hand to his leader. "Let's head back."

* * *

After making sure Beag was alright (Beag was, and he continuously expressed gratitude and happiness to see the Knights back together again), the four Knights returned through the portal and went back to Earth. Lydendor and Tributon had already been holding up Bravenwolf when they went through the portal, so Guren didn't fall through it once they made it back. Chooki and Ceylan kept a good grip on their injured leader, finally getting to see the bruises he had been sporting, new and old. Mr. White walked up to them quickly, releasing a sigh of relief at seeing Guren safe and sound. He had been watching their progress on the live feed, but that didn't mean he wasn't still worried about a possible ambush just before they returned. Guren gave the elderly man a lopsided grin.

"I made it out in one piece," he said.

Mr. White sighed and shook his head with a slight grin. He should have been scolding Guren for his recklessness, but there would be time for that later.

"Yeah, well don't do a stupid stunt like that again, you got it?" Ceylan demanded, sending a tiny glare at Guren. "I meant it Guren, no more solo hero, understand?"

"Of course," Guren responded with a nod. "Besides, with you three by my side, there'll be no reason for me to be a solo hero, right? All for one, and one for all, right?"

The three teens fell silent at the question, looking to each other almost quizzically before finally smiling and giving each other a small nod. Guren's face brightened at the nods, and pulled Chooki and Ceylan closer for a group hug. Chooki grabbed Toxsa and pulled him into the hug, which was met with a mild bit of protest before Toxsa gave in and closed up the circle.

Ceylan and Mr. White would later scold Guren for his reckless behavior. And later, the three boys would apology for the bad attitude and hurtful words they had said to each other. And after Guren healed from his injuries, the four teenagers would go down to the diner and have a drink just like old times. All of that would be done at a later point in time. At that moment, however, they would simply stay in the group hug to reaffirm their position as Knights and as friends to the bitter end.

* * *

**Ceylan's line about cheesy forgiveness speeches was used by **Tucker** in **_Red vs Blue_**.**


End file.
